A Dark and Stormy Night
by jamierubinstein
Summary: A horrible beating has taken place. It changes everyone who is involved. Can a silver lining be found after such an unbelievable act of cruelty?
1. Chapter 1

A Dark and Stormy Night part 1

This will have an over all rating of NC 17. This update is an R.

I own nothing and expect even less.

As a warning, this story is based on the exterm beating of one of the main characters. This update does not talk about the beating. It just describes the damage done by the beating. There is no rape in this story.

It was a dark and stormy night. Olivia was kicking herself for not going home Right after work. Why did she always stay and have a few drinks at the bar. She didn't even really like the group she was with tonight. What was so bad about being alone in her apartment. She pulled the collar of her blazer up around her neck to try and get a little warmer. Why hadn't she gone home with Josh when he had offered her a ride. That made her smile. She knew the answer to that one. Josh would have wanted more than to just drive her home. She didn't want to lead him on. He was sweet and the few times they had hooked up had been fun, but he was looking for a wife and that's just not what she wanted right now.

A big gust of wet wind hit Olivia right in the face. It sent a chill through her entire body. It felt like she wasn't even wearing clothes. She started to shiver. She put her head down and started to walk as fast as she could. Next time you tell yourself it's only five blocks, I don't need a coat, just remember tonight and take the fucking coat, was going through her head when she heard a strange noise. She stopped walking. She picked her head up trying to figure out what the noise was and where it was coming from.

It took a moment to figure out that it sounded like a hurt animal. It was a deep gut wrenching groaning. It was coming from the alleyway just to her right. It was very dark in there. Her first instinct was to keep going and call 911 when she got home. She wasn't sure if it was an animal or a person. Just as she was about to start walking again, the groaning changed in to a soft crying sound. It was definitely a person. She put her fears of the dark aside and went into the alley to see what was wrong.

Olivia used her hand on the wall to carefully start towards the sound. Her eyes were just starting to get used to the darkness when she saw someone curled in the fetal position just a few feet in front of her. She quickly made it over to them to see if she could help. As she got closer, Olivia was able to make out that it was a woman on the ground. Her face was swollen and covered in blood. What little clothing she had on was torn and looked like they were covered in blood too. She removed her blazer and tried to cover the woman with it. The woman shirked and tried to move away.

"It's ok. It's just my jacket to help keep you warm. I won't hurt you. I promise I'm just here to help." Olivia tried to make her voice as soothing as possible. She didn't want the women to hurt herself trying to get away from her. The sound of Olivia's voice made the woman relax somewhat. She let Olivia wrap the blazer around her. Olivia was so concerned for this poor woman, she didn't even feel the cold anymore.

"Olivia, how did you find me? I'm so happy you're here!" Olivia took a sharp intake of air. That was Natalia's voice. Olivia looked as carefully at the woman as she could. Her face was so badly beaten that she still couldn't recognize her. She tried looking in her eyes but it was too dark in the alley to see.

"Natalia is that you? Are you ok? What happened? Who did this to you?" Olivia noticed that Natalia tried to smile and winced from the pain. "Here let me help you. Can you stand? My apartment is just up the street, if you can walk I'll take you there and get you cleaned up before I take you to the hospital." Natalia reached out her hand to Olivia so she could help her try to stand. Natalia screamed out in pain when she tried to put weight on her left leg.

Somehow Olivia managed to carry Natalia up into her apartment. They went directly into the bathroom. Olivia sat Natalia down on the closed toilet and went to turn on the shower.

"I don't think I should take a shower Olivia, there might be evidence on my body that the police could use to catch the asshole that did this to me. Please just let me get warm. Can you call the police for me? I need to report this as soon as possible." Olivia nodded her head yes. Natalia was still un recognizable even in the light. Not all of her damage looked fresh. Olivia couldn't remember the last time she had seen Natalia. It had to be about two weeks ago when they had gone out together for dinner. Olivia had thought it was strange that Natalia hadn't called her again, but that was about all. Now she was blaming herself for not calling to find out if Natalia was ok.

Olivia left Natalia alone in the bathroom and quickly called her friend Frank. He is the chief of detectives for the Springfield police department. She told him everything that she knew and also told him to have the paramedics come with him. Natalia was horribly beaten and most likely raped. After she got off the phone Olivia boiled some water to make tea for Natalia.

As soon as Natalia was alone she used the toilet. The toilet was full of blood when she was done. She knew that wasn't a good thing. She needed to get to a doctor and the sooner the better. She worked really hard not to look at herself in the big mirror hanging on the wall. She knew her nose was broken. She could feel the broken bones around her left eye and her jaw. She had heard the bones break when he was hitting her. She was pretty sure her left leg was broken from how much it hurt when she put any weight on it. She didn't want to think about what could be wrong internally, but all that blood in the toilet was definitely a sign it was bad. She hoped Olivia was calling for help, she wasn't sure how much longer she could hold on by herself. She knew she was going to pass out from the pain and all the blood she was losing.

Just as Olivia was finishing up the tea, there was a knock on her door. She hoped it was Frank and the paramedics. She grabbed the hot mug of tea and rushed over to the door. Thank god it was Frank and he had the paramedic Remy Boudreaux was with him. Olivia didn't waste anytime explaining what happened, she just showed them to the bathroom where Natalia was.

Remy was the first person to enter the small bathroom. Natalia was laying on the floor barely conscious. There was a pool blood forming around her body. He quickly got to work on her. He called down to his partner to bring up the gurney, they needed to get her to the hospital stat. Frank called down to the station for a female officer. From the looks of things they were going to need a rape kit preformed on this poor young woman.

"Olivia can you answer a few questions while Remy works on your friend?" Olivia nodded yes, never taking her eyes off of Natalia. "What is her full name?" Olivia looked at Frank like he had lost his mind.

"Frank, that's Natalia Rivera, a waitress at your father's restaurant!" Frank couldn't believe what Olivia was saying. She was unrecognizable. It scared him, that she was so beaten up that he couldn't tell it was her. His father had been worried about her. She hadn't been to work in a week or so. Remy's partner Stacy arrived with the gurney and in no time the two paramedics had an IV line in her arm and had her vitals taken. Her blood pressure was very low from all the blood loss. They needed to get her to the hospital now.

Frank took Olivia with him in his squad car, as he followed the ambulance to Cedars hospital. Dr. Rick Bauer was the doctor on call in the emergency room. He went to work on Natalia as soon as Remy got her there. Olivia stayed in the waiting room. Frank talked to Rick to make sure that evidence was carefully saved durning his treatment of the patient.

For the next six hours Rick worked on saving Natalia's life. Her heart stopped three times before they got her blood pressure to stabilize. She had several internal injuries. Any single one of them were life threatening on their own. Rick was amazed that she had lived long enough to get to the hospital. He continued to be amazed every time he was able to get her heart going again. By the time they had repaired all the damage inside this small woman's body and fixed all the broken bones in her face, the broken ribs and her dislocated and broken femur, Rick was exhausted. He made sure Natalia was safely in the ICU and had she had his favorite step mother as her nurse. His next responsibility was to inform Frank about all the injuries he had found.

Rick grabbed a cup of coffee before heading to the waiting room. He was surprised that Olivia Spencer was still in the waiting room. She was still in the same clothes she was wearing when she first came in. They were covered in Natalia's blood. He told the nurse on duty to give her some scrubs she could change into. He was glad that his patient had a good friend waiting for her. She was going to need a strong support system if she survived the next twenty four hours.

The pain was getting worse as she came closer and closer to consciousness. She was fighting to stay in the dark painless world she had been in. She wanted to be as far away from the pain as possible. She moaned at the pain hoping that would make it go away. She felt warmth wrap around her hand and warmth on her forehead for just a moment. It relaxed her enough to leave the pain behind for just a little longer.

The blackness was receding again. The pain was coming back to visit. Natalia moaned at the pain again to send it away. Again her hand was covered in warmth and a soft whisper of encouragement filtered through the pain into her ear. She knew that voice but couldn't place it just yet. The voice was telling her to relax, the medicine would make her feel better. She let the voice sooth her and the pain went away.

The blackness was lifting again. Natalia could tell this was different from the other times. She could feel the light touch of a hand on hers. The sound of people talking around her and the noises beyond her space.

Olivia noticed that Natalia was starting to stir again. This time they were going to let her wake up fully if the pain was manageable. She held on to Natalia's hand, hoping it would give her the little bit of extra strength that she needed. Olivia had spent as much time here as her job and the nurses allowed. Natalia had been in intensive care and asleep for eight days. Rick wanted to see if Natalia was strong enough to handle the pain.

Olivia let Rick know Natalia was starting to stir. Rick gave Olivia the go ahead to try and get Natalia to open the eye that wasn't covered up by a bandage.

"Wake up Natalia. Let me see your beautiful brown eyes. You've been asleep for a really long time. It's time to get up now." Natalia could hear someone calling her name. It was Olivia's voice calling her. She felt Olivia's hand on hers. Natalia squeezed Olivia's hand.

"That's it Natalia, squeeze my hand. Come on Natalia work your way awake. It's time to wake up, you're going to miss your shift at Company. You don't want to make Buzz angry do you? Natalia open your eyes for me." Rick could see that Natalia was getting closer. Then suddenly much faster then Rick was expecting, Natalia opened her eye.

"That's a good girl Natalia. Now look at me. If you know who I am, squeeze my hand." Natalia looked at Olivia. It took a moment for her eye to focus, then she squeezed her hand.

In a very deep and scratchy voice, Natalia started to speak. "Olivia, what time is it? Am I really going to be late for work?" Olivia started to laugh. Of course that was what got her awake.

"No you're not late for work. You don't have to work today. Do you know where you are?" Natalia looked around the room as best she could with just one eye. It was clearly a hospital room. She tried to remember why she would be in a hospital. It took a couple of moments then slowly the images started to fill her mind. All the pain she was in, started to make sense. She slowly started to smile. The mother fucker had been wrong. She didn't die. God was on her side not his. This was finally her proof. God saved her. He must love her just the way she is.

Rick got very concerned when Natalia started to smile. He was afraid there had been some brain damage from her heart stopping so many times. He walked over to the bed so he could start asking some questions.

"Natalia, I'm Dr. Bauer. Do you know where you are?"

"I'm guessing Cedar's Hospital."

"Do you know why you're here. Do you know what happened to you?" Natalia started to smile even bigger. Rick was getting very concerned. Then he heard his patient's answer to his question.

"I survived. He did everything he could to kill me and I survived." Rick started to nod his head. She was ok, so far.

"Natalia do you know who did this to you? Who hurt you so badly?" Natalia got a look on her face that made Rick feel afraid.

"Yes I know exactly who did this to me. My father, Miguel Rivera. He said he was either going to beat the gay out of me or he was going to kill me. He failed on both counts."

Tbc


	2. Chapter 2

A Dark and Stormy Night part 2

PG13 rating

I own nothing and expect even less.

A/N. Please be warned that this story is based around Natalia being brutally beaten but not raped.

It was a dark and stormy afternoon. Olivia pulled her warmest jacket tightly around her but the cold was still getting through to her bones. The only reason she was out in the cold and rain was for Natalia. She was on her way into the hospital carrying new clothes for Natalia to wear. Natalia was finally getting out of the hospital. It had been almost three weeks ago to the day, that Olivia heard Natalia moaning out in pain and then found her rolled up in a ball on the ground in the alley next to her apartment building.

Why was she doing all this for Natalia? Why had she spent absolutely every minute she could at the hospital with Natalia? When Rick said he wouldn't release Natalia from the hospital if she didn't have someone to help take care of her, Olivia immediately without a second thought said she would do it. The first thing she did was to reserve one of the wheelchair accessible two bedroom suites at the Beacon so she could be there 24/7 to take care of her...what, what was Natalia to her?

Olivia had been trying to figure out just who Natalia was to her. Before the beating, Natalia had just been a very smart, very beautiful, but very shy woman that had somehow caught Olivia's interest. Olivia wanted to get to know Natalia, understand what made her tick. Olivia wanted to know why someone as smart and naturally beautiful as Natalia didn't know her own worth. For Olivia, they were just friends, there was nothing sexual then. Olivia is very aware that she is an extremely sexual being. She didn't have any issues with girl on girl. She had just never met a girl that did anything for her.

After the beating, the woman that woke up and found herself alive was almost completely different then the friend she had known. This woman was confident that she would fully recover from this ordeal. Even when she found out how much damage had been done to her. It just made her more confident that she would not only survive, but that she would recover beyond anything Rick was predicting. This woman intrigued Olivia. This woman that believed in herself enough to endure all the pain from the beating to survive and then endure the even greater pain of bringing her body back to healthy.

Olivia had been there for every physical therapy session. Remy's wife Christina was Natalia's therapist. Olivia watched as Natalia fought for every small victory. The look of peace and determination never leaving her face. When Olivia mentioned the change in personality, Natalia just smiled and said "I'm still here, he was wrong." This new woman that Olivia was getting to know was something Olivia had never come across before. Natalia was complete confidence without arrogance. For Olivia, that was an amazing turn on. So just exactly what was Natalia to her now? Olivia wasn't ready to think the words yet.

Frank had arrested both of Natalia's parents three days after she woke up from her injuries. Tomorrow was the first day of their trial. Natalia talked Rick into releasing her early so she could be in the courtroom. Natalia told Rick she wanted her father to see her alive and to see the triumph In her eyes. God was on her side not his.

Olivia had been in the courtroom for their arraignment. Natalia had asked her to go in her place. Olivia was amazed at how normal Natalia's parents looked. You could not tell from just looking at them, that they were capable of trying to beat their own child to death. Natalia was a blend of them both. She had her mother's shape eyes, but her father's color. Her mother's size lips, but her father's shape. Both her parents had dimples. It scared her that you couldn't see their evil.

Her father was charged with attempted murder in the first degree and felony assault and battery. Her mother was charged with conspiracy to commit murder in the first degree and felony assault and battery. Her father was the one that beat Natalia to within inches of her life. Her mother, Maria Rivera knew exactly what her husband was doing and had helped him plan what they were calling an intervention. She drove the car into that alley so they could dump, what they were sure would soon be Natalia's dead body. They said it was a warning for Olivia. They didn't want their daughter's sins to send Olivia to hell also. They both pled innocent to all the charges.

Olivia arrived at Natalia's room just in time to watch Rick remove the bandage from Natalia's left eye. Rick had done a wonderful job. When all the swelling went down and the bruising faded, no one would be able to tell that she came precariously close to losing that eye. The big question was did she still have sight in that beautiful brown orb?

Olivia stayed in the background as Rick started his examination of the eye socket and the bones around it. He was letting the eye get used to being un bandaged. The other times they had changed the bandage the swelling had kept Natalia from opening that eye or as the swelling went down, they had kept the eye covered with gauze. This was the first time in three weeks that light was entering the retina. Rick had been very concerned about the repair they did to fix the detached retina once the swelling went down.

"It looks very good Natalia. Can you open and close your eye for me please?" Natalia did as her doctor requested. It felt strange not having the bandage on. She knew there was a good chance that she might not be able to see out of her left eye. The doctor had been very good at telling her exactly what was going on with her health and the things that could still go wrong as she continued to heal. He even told her they had checked her for rape and was very happy that there was absolutely no evidence of that occurring.

"Are you experiencing any pain in the eye from the light?" Natalia softly answered no. "Lilian please bring the lights up, just a little more." Lillian brought up the lights. "How about now, any pain?" Natalia again replied no. "Ok Natalia, here's the big question, can you see anything with that eye. Olivia stepped just a little farther into the room. She wanted to be sure she heard what Natalia said and to be close by for support if the answer was no.

Natalia took a moment to look around. She put her hand over her good eye just to be sure. A small smile started to form on her lips. "I see light and shapes. I can't make out any detail. I can't make out your face. But I'm not blind." Rick used a small flash light to get a good look at the back of Natalia's eye. Olivia knew if that had been her and all she could see was light and shapes she would be crying right now, not the triumphant smile Natalia had on her face.

"Well I think that's a very good sign that you'll get back a lot of your vision in the eye. My guess is that you'll get more and more sight in the eye as the swelling goes down. Once all the swelling is gone, what ever you have at that time is the best you'll get. This is actually better then I was expecting. I don't think we'll have to go back in and make any surgical corrections." The lopsided smile on Natalia's still slightly swollen face still could have lit up Springfield.

Lillian began to clean up the old bandages. Rick got busy signing Natalia's release paperwork. An orderly came in with the wheelchair Olivia had rented for Natalia while her leg was still healing. She still had six weeks to go before she could start putting any weight on it. The chair was light weight but still electric. With all the healing bones on Natalia's left side, she wouldn't be able to push herself for another month at least. This way Natalia would have a little bit more independence by getting around by herself.

"Ok miss, the only reason I'm letting you leave the hospital is because Olivia promised she would be looking after you. If you have any increased or new pain, I want you back here asap, you hear me?" Natalia gave him a very serious face and saluted, then burst into her lopsided smile. Olivia was happy to see that the swelling on her face had gone down enough for her dimples to start showing again. It sent a tingle to places she rather not think about right now.

By the time all the paperwork was signed and Natalia was dressed in the clothes Olivia brought, it was time for dinner. "Now that you're free, would you like to go to Company and get some dinner? Even just some of Buzz's chicken and barley soup has got to be a thousand times better then the hospital food you've been eating." Natalia let out a groan and licked her lips at just the thought of some of Buzz's cooking. Olivia felt a sharp wave of desire run though her from the sound that Natalia made and seeing the tip of her pink tongue dragged across her lips.

Olivia got herself under control. If or when that was going to happen, it certainly wasn't going to happen tonight. The poor woman is just getting out of a three week stay in the hospital.

Natalia watched the desire flit across Olivia's face. Not only did it make her smile, it confirmed what she had been thinking since she woke up. Olivia wanted her as more than a friend.

"I think some of Buzz's chicken and barley soup sounds divine, but I don't think I have the stamina to eat at Company. Could we just go in and say hello, but take the food and just go back to your apartment? I want to look and feel strong tomorrow in the courtroom. Natalia gave Olivia a little smile. They really hadn't talked about the living arrangements. Natalia just needed to be out of the hospital so she could attend her parents' trial. She would have agreed to just about anything Dr. Rick said. Staying with Olivia was actually bonus points for her.

"We're not going to stay at my apartment. One of the best things about being the general manager of one of Cassie Winslow's hotels, is that she allows us to use a suite at no charge for as long as we need it. I reserved one of the two bedroom suites with a living area that is also wheelchair accessible so you would have a much easier time moving around on your own." Natalia was going to complain about the expense until she heard it was free. Then she realized how thoughtful Olivia was being by trying to make it easier to be a bit more independent. It was just more proof in Natalia's heart that God truly was all about love.

"Thank you for being so thoughtful Olivia. I can't thank you enough. For saving my life and then staying to help me heal. I love you more then I can put into words." Natalia had a smile on her face and tears in her eyes. It was the first time she had ever said those words out loud. Olivia didn't know how to respond to Natalia's heart felt words. She smiled and started to push Natalia out of the room. Olivia didn't want to just say anything, she wanted to make sure she used the right words.

Olivia walked to the elevator and pushed the button. "There is a lot we need to talk about. But this is not the time nor the place for that conversation. I promise once we get settled in the suite we will have that conversation." Natalia just smiled at Olivia. She didn't want to overwhelm her. Her feelings just came out of her mouth and it felt wonderful to say it out loud. She could wait until Olivia was ready. She knew what she saw in Olivia's eyes and in Olivia's actions. She could wait to hear the words.

Olivia pushed Natalia up to the wheelchair accessible van she had rented. She opened the side door and lowered the lift. She pushed Natalia onto the lift and raised her up into the van. Natalia moved herself into position and locked her wheels in place. Olivia closed the door, walked around to the driver's side and got in. The drive over to Company was short and done in silence. Natalia was letting Olivia get her bearings.

Buzz was out having a smoke when Olivia pulled up in the van. He came over to help when he realized who was in the van. He had a large umbrella to keep Natalia as dry as possible. All three of them went into the restaurant as fast as possible. Natalia was quickly surrounded by all her friends and co workers. They were all happy to see her looking so much better. Olivia order their dinners to go while Natalia was being treated like a rock star. This gave Olivia a few moments to herself to think about what she wanted to say to Natalia.

Olivia watched how Natalia interacted with everyone. Natalia was definitely changed from the beating. The new confidence was on full display. She was enjoying being the center of attention. That was definitely new. Olivia had always thought there was great passion just below the surface. Now that passion showed in every word she spoke, in her unreserved laughter. Olivia was searching her mind for the right word to describe the change, free was the only word that was coming to mind. Natalia seemed free of some weight she had been carrying. It became very clear to Olivia in that moment that she was more than attracted to Natalia. Olivia knew she falling in love with this new Natalia.

Olivia's musings were interrupted by Blake. She had their food ready for them. "She looks pretty good for all she's been through. I don't know if I'd be smiling if my mother and father tried to kill me." Olivia took one more look at Natalia before turning her attention towards Blake.

"When she woke up and realized she was still alive, that they hadn't been able to kill her, she started to smile. A sparkle entered her eyes that's still there. It doesn't matter what the doctor says, she smiles. She was so sure she was going to die that everything that has happened since she woke up has been a bonus." Blake just shook her head in disbelief. Maybe there was some brain damage that no one was talking about? How could any normal person be happy that their parents tried to kill them? She didn't say that to Olivia. It was really none of her business and Olivia wasn't the one to get any good gossip out of anyway.

Olivia noticed that Natalia was starting to look like she had had enough. She grabbed her wallet and handed Blake enough money for the food and a nice tip for her. She took the food and went to save Natalia from her fans. They both bundled back up and headed back out into the rain. Olivia got Natalia up and into the van and then climbed in after her. Natalia turned on the radio and spent the ride back to the Beacon singing along to the radio.

Olivia got them upstairs and into the suite with very little trouble. This was going to work out just fine. Olivia was pleased that all the plans that she had made for Natalia were working so well. "Olivia do you mind if we eat right away? I'm kind of hungry and the thought of eating really good food is making me salivate." Olivia giggled and set up the table for them to eat their dinners.

Olivia helped Natalia up to the table and then sat down herself. They both dug into their food. Natalia sat back and decided it was time to tell Olivia the truth about her life. It would explain the big change that everyone was noticing. She poured herself and Olivia another glass of wine and smiled at the woman that had saved her life.

"Olivia I'm going to tell you a little bit about how I was raised. It will help you understand why I'm so happy to be still alive and here with you." Olivia sat back from her plate and lifted her glass of wine. The interested look on her face was all Natalia needed to start on her history.

"I knew I was gay when I was very young. I didn't know it had a name or anything, it was just how I felt. I must have been four or five when I fell in love with my next door neighbor Cindy. She had blonde hair and big green eyes. I was so happy about it, that I ran to my mother to tell her all about the beautiful little girl from next door. That was when the beatings began. They told me over and over that they were going to beat the devil out of me. That God hated people like that and if I ever touched another girl, I would be going straight to hell. I was a willful child and wouldn't give in. The beatings continued until I was a teenager. I was so tired of trying to hide the damage they were doing to me. It finally dawned on me, that if I lied to them and told them how wrong I had been, and that I was very much in love with a boy named Nicky, the beatings would stop. It worked, the beatings stopped. But by then I believed them when they said if I ever touch another girl I would go straight to hell. I have yet to touch a girl." Natalia paused to take a big sip of wine.

Olivia was shocked by everything Natalia had told her. Her mother wasn't great, but at least she never beat her. "You said they stopped beating you when you were a teenager and that you've never been with a woman. What made them start again now? What happened?" Natalia hesitated for a moment. She didn't want Olivia to feel like any of this was her fault. Then she realized that the truth would come out in court and it would be better for Olivia not to be surprised it.

"They were getting suspicious that I wasn't married yet and not only that, but that I wasn't even dating. They decided to follow me when ever I wasn't at work. They saw us going out to dinner on several occasions. When they confronted me about I went into a rage. How dare they follow me like a disobedient child. I lied to them and told them yes that we were lovers. That I didn't care if that sent me to hell. I said that I loved you, which was true then and is still true now. But I lied and told them that you loved me too. It wasn't true then, but I think that might have changed." Olivia blushed and couldn't quite make eye contact.

"It was their turn to go into a rage. My father started to punch me. My mother started praying for the devil to leave my soul. It went on for three days. The whole time he was beating me he was telling me that either he was going to beat the devil out of me or he was going to kill me and let the devil have my soul. He kept telling me that God was on his side. He was doing the Lord's work to keep me pure. Then he told me he was going to dump my dead body where you would find it as a warning of what could happen to you if you let my evil ways corrupt you." Natalia was looking very carefully at Olivia to make sure she wasn't trying to take any of the blame for what happened. Olivia gently smiled at Natalia to continue the story.

"When I woke up in the hospital and you were there holding my hand, it was like an enormous light went on inside me. God wasn't on his side. God didn't hate me. God had saved me. He sent you to find me. God loves me just the way I am. I don't have to live in fear of hell. God will take me in his arms when the time comes." Olivia was just sitting there. She couldn't believe how Natalia turned a near death beating into God loves me, but very clearly she did and even Olivia was beginning to believed that God did indeed love Natalia.

"I want to sit in that courtroom tomorrow and show him how wrong he is. That God didn't let him kill me. God used you to save me."

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

A Dark and Stormy Night part 3

R rating

I own nothing and expect even less

Thank you Chely for always finding the time to try and teach me English.

A/N please remember that this is a dark story and certain characters have little regard for human life.

It was a dark and stormy morning. The sound of rain beating on the window woke Natalia from the first restful nights sleep she had in a very long time. Slowly the pain started to remind her of the past. The most recent past put a smile on her face. She reached out her arm and found Olivia's warm body still sleeping in her bed. She was in shorts and a tank top, curled up on her side facing the doorway. They had stayed up late talking. They both shared their childhood stories. They laughed and cried together. When the pain medicine made her so sleepy she couldn't hold her eyes open any longer she had asked Olivia to stay.

Natalia couldn't help herself. She allowed her hand to caress the outline of Olivia's hip. It sent a sharp rush of desire through her body that was concentrated in the v of her legs. She let out the smallest gasp at the strong sensations. Olivia rolled over on her back towards Natalia. Natalia tried to pull her hand back, but Olivia caught Natalia's hand in hers. She pulled their combined hands up to her mouth and kissed the palm of Natalia's hand. It was soft and gentle and not meant to ignite passion. Natalia's center filled with liquid and shivers ran up and down her spine.

"Please don't start something we can't finish. I know how much you want this. I need you to know that I want it as much as you do. You know your body needs to heal before I can touch you."

"Maybe I can just touch you, Olivia. You're so very beautiful and your skin looks so soft." Olivia could see that Natalia was visibly vibrating with sexual energy. "Will you let me touch the skin on your stomach with my bare hand. I've been dreaming of touching you for so long." How could Olivia say no to that. She gently took Natalia's hand and moved it to her tummy. She lifted her tank up and placed Natalia's hand over her belly button.

Natalia gently laid her hand down on the downey soft skin of Olivia's tummy. It was even softer then she had imagined. She started to slowly move her hand in a circle. Letting her fingertips truly feel what she had only dreamt about. She was starting to feel light headed. She realized she had stopped breathing. She took in a quick deep breath. Immediately searing pain shot out from the four broken ribs. The pain was so sharp, it was making it impossible to get any more air in. She groaned in pain and moved away from Olivia, trying to find a position that didn't make her ribs feel worse.

Olivia jumped up and out of bed when she saw the intense look of pain on Natalia's face. She could just kick herself. This was all her fault. She knew Natalia was still too fragile for anything physical. She ran into the bathroom to get some water, so Natalia could take a pain pill as soon as she could breathe again.

"Here you go. Take this, it will help with the pain." Olivia handed Natalia a pill and a large glass of water. "I'll call down for room service and get some breakfast up here so the pill won't turn your stomach. I'm so sorry, this is all my fault. I shouldn't have let it get that far. I knew you weren't thinking properly." Natalia was able to get herself into a comfortable position. She took some tentative breaths to make sure she could breathe again. When she was able, she swallowed the pill and a good deal of the water. The look on Olivia's face told her that Olivia really was feeling responsible for the pain.

"That was absolutely not your fault. If it has to be anyone's fault, then it was your parents' fault for making you so beautiful and so incredibly soft." Natalia's face flushed but not in embarrassment. Olivia blushed and picked up the phone to cover the fact she was blushing. Olivia Spencer didn't blush when someone told her she was beautiful.

"But you're right, I wasn't thinking. We have a lot to do before we can leave for the courthouse. I need to put something in my stomach and I would like to take a bath or a shower. I must smell like the hospital. Olivia, I'll need help with that and getting dressed. You don't mind do you? Or should I call Lillian and see if she can come by before her shift at the hospital?" Olivia put the phone receiver down and looked directly into Natalia's eyes. She wanted Natalia to know that what she said next was the absolute truth.

"I want you to listen very carefully to what I'm about to say. I swear to you that every word will be the truth." Natalia nodded her head and encouraged Olivia to continue. "My feelings for you are growing everyday. Before this happened, I just thought of you as a friend, nothing more. I knew how you felt about me. I don't think anyone in our crowd was unaware of your feelings for me. It showed in your eyes every time you looked at me." Olivia took a moment to make sure what she said next was clear and simple.

"Since you woke up, it's like my friend has finally grown up and developed this very engaging, very inspiring confidence. Anyone else would have been angry and horrified by what happened. But not you. You have a smile on your face most of the time. No matter what the doctor tells you, the smile doesn't falter. Yesterday when Rick took off the bandage on your eye and all you could see was light and shapes, I would have been devastated if that had been me, but you acted as if you had never seen out of that eye before and now you were delighted to see light." Natalia smiled at Olivia's description of what had happened.

"Just being around you makes me feel better. I want to do what ever I can to help you, but how will you react to me being in the bathroom with you, when you are naked. I don't want you to having any more pain." This made the dimples on Natalia's face deepen and a blush started at the base of her neck and disappeared into the hair line at the top of her head.

"Before you call in the breakfast order, maybe you should call Lillian. Just thinking about you touching my naked body is making it hard to breathe." Both women felt a shiver of desire run up their spines as they both pictured Natalia naked in the shower, up against the wall, as Olivia bathed her. After a moment Olivia cleared her throat and quickly called Lillian.

Natalia and Olivia entered the courtroom and found a spot behind the prosecutor's table. They were close enough to hear everything that ADA Wolfe was saying and get an excellent look at the defense table. Natalia wanted to be able to look her parents in the eye every time she looked at them. Olivia stood up when ADA Doris Wolfe came into the courtroom and over to the table.

"Good morning, Olivia and Natalia. I'm glad you're here a little bit early. I want to go over what I expect to happen today. This is going to take several days to complete unless your parents change their plea to guilty, which I'm not expecting to happen. I've gone up against their lawyer before and Vince Russo fights to the bitter end if he thinks it will get his name in the newspapers. Natalia you are aware that he has called the papers and there will be reporters here following the trail?" Neither Olivia or Natalia had been aware of that fact.

"It's beyond me why he would do it for this case. He's a sleaze ball, but usually an excellent lawyer. I don't see how they can try and make you the bad one to the press. That's usually why you call in the press to make your clients look like they're really the ones that have been hurt. Russo knows we have proof of all the abuse you went through. We have your childhood doctors ready to testify. We even have your teachers willing to come forward on your behalf. I'm so curious to find out what angle he's come up with." Doris started to pull files out of her briefcase and stack them on the table.

Doris filled in Natalia on all the evidence she had against her parents. She went over the list of witnesses that she was going to call on her behalf. She once again asked Natalia if she was sure that she wanted to testify against her parents.

"Please Doris, I need to tell my story in front of them. They need to see the truth on my face and hear it in my voice. I want them to understand as clearly as I do, that they are the ones going to hell not me. That the devil is waiting for them, not me. The proof of that is the simple fact that I am still very much alive. The next piece of proof, is the one person they were willing to kill me over, was the one person to save me. I don't care if they spend another minute in jail, I want them to know in their hearts that if they don't see the mistakes that they've made, they will spend all eternity in hell." Doris really didn't know how to respond to that. She was not a very religious person. She wanted to make sure they both went to prison and visited hell here on earth.

People started to arrive. The gallery was quickly filling up. Natalia noticed most of her friends were there to support her. Frank Copper and Remy Boudreaux walked in and sat right behind her and Olivia. Buzz and Lillian followed. Each friend that came in boosted Natalia's conviction that she was in the right. Surely God would not send all these good people here to help her if he didn't truly love her. She bowed her head and send up a prayer of thanks.

Olivia was watching the other side of the gallery to see who would be there for Natalia's parents. It was people Olivia had never met. She got Natalia's attention. "Do you know who all those people are, that are filling up the other side of the gallery?" Natalia made eye contact with several people she knew. She smiled at each and everyone that had the courage to meet her eyes.

"Yes I know everyone sitting over there. They are all members of the church my parents and I attend. The man sitting in the same row as we are is the pastor. Look at how surprised he looks that I'm alive and well. I think he will be with my parents as they rot in hell. At least they will be with people they know." Olivia watched as the pastor tried to intimidate Natalia with his look. Natalia wasn't intimidated at all. She returned his look and added her smile. Olivia was sure the man's genitals crawled up into his body. He quickly turned his head away.

Vince Russo and two other lawyers entered the courtroom. He smiled at Doris and they started to set up their things on the other table. Just as they were finishing up, a door opened at the back of the room, just left of the judge's bench. Two officers of the court walked out. Behind them came Natalia's parents. Olivia watched in awe as Natalia gracefully stood up on her good leg and met her parents eye to eye. Her father tried the same form of intimidation as the pastor had. It worked just as well. The smile on Natalia's face and the strength in her eyes stopped her father from walking forward. The male officer turned and took Miguel Rivera by the arm and walked him over to his lawyer. Maria Rivera followed closely behind.

Maria Rivera was very confused. She hadn't really believed that Natalia had survived all that Miguel had done to her. Natalia was barely breathing when they took her out of the trunk and dumped her down in the alley. Now she was seeing with her own eyes her daughter standing in front of her. Not only is she alive, but she seems so different then the woman Maria was sure they had put an end to. There is a look in her child's eyes that's never been there before. Natalia had never held eye contact with her father before. That was the first time Miguel has ever backed down to anyone besides Pastor Ignacio. Maria sat down in the chair next to her husband. Her world seemed to be tilting in a strange direction. She had been sure of her direction before she walked through the door. Now she wasn't so sure of anything.

The pain from standing up should have been unbearable. Natalia didn't care about the pain. She knew she had to show them both from the very beginning that they were wrong. She was alive and stronger than she had ever been. She was strong with a woman by her side. When her father was the first to break eye contact, Natalia knew she had won the first of many battles. She remained standing until both her parents were seated. Natalia slowly lowered herself down in the wheelchair. Her parents didn't see Olivia's hand on Natalia's lower back, helping her to remain steady as she stood on her good leg. They also didn't see Olivia help her sit down with elegance and dignity.

Tbc


	4. Chapter 4

A Dark and Stormy Night part 4

R rating for talking about some of the damage and violence done to Natalia. Please skip if this could cause problems for you.

I own nothing and expect even less.

Thank you Chely for asking the right questions.

It was a dark and stormy morning when Judge Jamison allowed cameras into her courtroom. The coverage of the trial became obsessive. Soon this little community trial went viral and became a nation wide topic of discussion and argument. It became the religious right battling against the gay agenda. The battle lines were drawn and everyone was taking sides.

Natalia's face was plastered on the cover of every magazine. If she wasn't on the cover, then it was her parents. Russo was in all his glory. He was talking to anyone and everyone. He was there to stop the persecution of his clients. How dare they even be on trial. This whole thing was impinging on his clients first amendment rights. They were just teaching their child the ways of the world and more importantly the way to love and obey God.

Doris understood now, that this had been Russo's plan all along. He didn't want to fight an attempted murder charge in a courtroom, he wanted to fight a religious battle in the court of public opinion. He knew he had absolutely no chance of winning in the courtroom, but public opinion was another story .

Natalia deserved her best after everything she had been through. Doris was going to do everything in her power to make sure the Riveras went to prison. Natalia's charm and confidence would take care of the court of public opinion. Doris was very sure of that. Add the beautiful and vivacious Olivia Spencer to the public opinion mix and only the extreme religious groups would be on the Rivera's side.

Doris was first to present opening arguments to the jury and the first to present her case. Doris didn't mention religion at all in her opening statement. She just talked about all the medical issues Natalia was healing from since her parents had left her to die in that alley.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, this is a simple case. We have a full confession on tape, from both defendants that I will show you. Mr. Rivera fully admits to beating his only child to within inches of her life. Mrs. Rivera admits to knowing full well what her husband was doing. You will hear the voice of Mrs Rivera telling the police that what her husband did was completely necessary. She will also tell how she drove the car to the alley and helped her husband dump the body. You will hear how she was sure her child would soon be dead." The jury seemed shocked by what Doris was saying. Doris just continued on.

"We will have testimony from Ms. Rivera's current doctors and doctors from her childhood. We have her current employer and we also have teachers from when Ms. Rivers was in school. We have copies of noise complaints made by the Rivera's neighbors over the the years, that coincide with visits to the emergency room for the young Ms. Rivera. I will list every broken bone she has had, from the first one at five years old right up to the ones that she is healing from today. All of this will help you to see what has been happening to this poor woman her whole life. I am confident that once you hear all the evidence, your only real choice will be to convict the Riveras for what they have done to their only child, her whole life building up to the current issue before you today." Doris took a deep breath. It was partly for dramatic effect and partly because just thinking about what happened made her stomach turn.

"We will prove that in their home's basement, Mr. Rivera beat his daughter to the edge of death over a period of three days. Then both he and Natalia's mother drove their only child to that alley on the other side of town and dumped her battered and bleeding body there. Believing that if she wasn't dead yet, she would soon be." Doris was pleased with the looks of disgust from many of the jurors. Doris was even more confident than before that if she just did her job correctly, she would get justice for Natalia.

Russo's opening statement was short and to the point. "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, my clients are being persecuted for their religious beliefs. If we weren't fighting a war on Christianity in this country my clients wouldn't even be here. All they have done is to try and teach their child God's word." Russo could tell he had the jurors' attention.

"We live in a country that is supposed to have free speech and most importantly freedom of religion. My clients' rights have clearly been taken away! Instead of being in this courtroom to fight those injustices, we are here fighting trumped up criminal charges. The Riveras are good God fearing people. The only thing they have done wrong in the eyes of this court, is their desire to instill the same thoughts and feelings that they have for God into their only child. I know once you hear all the evidence, the only vote you will be able to give will be not guilty." Russo smugly smiled at Doris when his back was turned to the jury. He was sure this trial was going to make him famous. He'd be getting clients from all over the country. They would be lining up to pay him what ever exorbitant price he asked for, just for his legal opinion.

After both sides gave their opening statements, the prosecution was given the nod to start presenting their case. Doris started with Olivia, then Frank and ended the day with Remy. Russo didn't cross examine at the time, but asked to be able to cross examine at another time. Russo started his case as soon as court was adjourned for the day. He stood on the top steps of the court house for a press conference. His main goal was to discredit each of Doris's witnesses of the day.

"My clients are being persecuted by the gay agenda. This trial is nothing less than a travesty. They have absolutely no proof that Maria and Miguel had anything to do with this. All they have is the word of a sinner. If she is willing to defy God's word by laying with another woman, then why wouldn't she lie about what was done to her and by whom." All of the reporters started screaming out questions, trying to get Russo' attention. All the flashing from cameras was almost blinding.

With Russo taking up the attention, Doris told Olivia to quickly and quietly get Natalia into the van and drive her back to the Beacon. "This was a big day and Natalia's energy is all but gone. We need her as strong as she can be tomorrow. I'm going to call her as my last witness. If Russo continues to pass on his right to cross examine all my witnesses, she should be the witness I call after we get back from lunch. I want to take her back into her childhood and then we'll go step by step through this final beating. Are you ready for that Natalia?" Natalia eagerly nodded her head. She was more than ready to speak her truth in court.

In the short time it took Olivia and Natalia to get back to the suite, their story had spread from Springfield to the national news. By the time the eleven o'clock news was on, Natalia's high school graduation picture was being shown on every channel. Natalia was just sitting up in bed, amazed at what was happening and for all the misinformation that was being said. She was laughing as Olivia came out of the bathroom after her shower.

"It's always good to see those dimples, but what's so funny or are your pain pills starting to kick in?" Natalia looked Olivia up and down. Olivia was wearing an old t shirt and a pair of yoga pants. It what she had worn to bed the night before. Natalia couldn't remember ever seeing anything sexier then a bra less Olivia in skin tight pants. Her center flooded. She moved to encourage Olivia to come closer. The sharp twinge in her side reminded her that her body wasn't ready yet. She took a deep cleansing breath to get herself under control.

"I haven't taken my pain meds yet. I was waiting for you to come out of the bathroom first, so we could cuddle a little before they knocked me out." Olivia smiled and went over to the dresser to gather the pills Natalia needed to take before bed time. "I've been watching the news. My high school picture is on every news channel. Most everything they say is just not true. They're saying that starting as far back as high school that I've been very sexually active. It's so absurd it made me laugh." Olivia handed Natalia her pills and a large glass of water for to take them with.

"That sounds more like me then you." Olivia gave a small self deprecating smile. "I was fifteen my first time with a guy and twenty the first time with a girl. How old were you?" Natalia looked down at her hands trying to hide the fact that she was blushing before she answered. Olivia hoped she hadn't turned Natalia off by telling her that. She could see the blush on Natalia's forehead disappearing into her hairline.

"You'll be the first to know when it happens with a girl. I'm pretty sure it will never happen with a guy." Olivia's head popped up. Natalia was a virgin. That was a lot of responsibility on her shoulders. They would definitely have to wait until Natalia was much stronger before they did anything. She wanted to make sure Natalia's first time would be worth the wait.

Olivia carefully got into bed beside Natalia and cuddled in to her good right side. She was very careful where she put her hands. She didn't want to hurt or arouse Natalia. She rested her head on Natalia's shoulder and fought off the urge to run her tongue up from Natalia's collarbone to her neck and then suck Natalia's earlobe into her mouth. It was proving more difficult than it ever had before. But then again, when had she ever tried not to have sex with someone she was attracted to? That's when it really struck her. She really didn't want just sex with this beautiful broken human being. For the first time in her life, Olivia wanted to make love. She was easily able to get control of her libido. She knew she could wait for as long as Natalia needed. Even if it took forever.

Natalia was enjoying feeling Olivia's body wrapped around hers. She felt the tension in Olivia's body and then felt it leave and a calm come over Olivia. It made her feel good to think that being in her arms made Olivia relax.

"I'm glad I didn't frighten you away. I'm glad you can relax when you are this close to me. I on the other hand want to kiss you so bad right now, I could scream. But your kisses are worse then potato chips. I can't kiss you just once and my ribs just won't allow me to enjoy it. Just wait another week or so and I'm going to make up for all the lost time." Natalia didn't just mean the time lost because of her ribs. She wanted to make up for all the time she had lost thinking she was unworthy of God's love because of her feelings for her own sex. She was absolutely certain that God loved her. God loved her so much that he sent this woman to save her. Natalia tightened her right arm around Olivia's shoulder and gently snuggled in as much as her slowly healing body allowed.

Olivia relaxed even farther into Natalia. She started to pay attention to what was on the television. The correspondent was talking about the torrid love affair she and Natalia had been having before someone beat Natalia nearly to death. Was it Natalia's parents or was it a jealous lover that was at fault.

"Are they just making this shit up as they go or what!" Olivia couldn't believe what was being said.

"No, they're quoting Russo. They played a part of the press conference he had on the steps of the court house. He said that there was no proof that my father had been the one that beat me up. That if I was willing to go against God's word and sleep with women, I would have no problem lying about who beat me. He's trying to make it seem like you did it and I'm covering for you." Olivia sat straight up in bed. They needed their own plan for the media. She got her cell phone and immediately called Doris. Operation Save Natalia needed to be worked out and set into motion!

.TBC


	5. Chapter 5

A Dark and Stormy Night part 5

NC 17 for violence

I own nothing and expect even less

Thank you to Chely for all her wisdom

A/N This is the section that describes how Natalia ended up in that alley. It is graphic and depicts violence. If this is a trigger point for you, please skip this update and join me for the next update.

It was a dark and stormy afternoon when Doris Wolfe the assistant district attorney for the city of Springfield, called Natalia Rivera to the stand. The courtroom was full to over flowing with reporters. The morning's testimonies had been all about what a sweet and responsible woman Natalia is. It left the crowd bored and wanting more. When Doris stood up and called Natalia's name, the flashbulbs started to go off. A loud buzz of voices started to build. Judge Jamison was working very hard to keep the proceedings from becoming a circus. She threatened to clear the gallery if everyone didn't calm down. A hush fell over the crowd as Olivia helped Natalia stand up to take the oath.

"Ms. Rivera can you please describe for us, the events that put you in the hospital this last time?" Doris stood back, letting everyone get a good look at Natalia. She wanted them to see and feel everything Natalia was about to live through again. Natalia focused her eyes first on Olivia. She needed the strength she knew she would find there. Olivia smiled and nodded her head encouraging her to tell the whole story, also trying to let her know that she would be there at the end of the story to support her physically and emotionally. Natalia centered herself by taking a deep breath. As she started to talk, she brought her focus directly on her parents.

"It was after nine in the evening when I got home. I had been to dinner at Towers with my friend Olivia Spencer. She had a late date she needed to get to with a friend of both of our's, Joshua Lewis. I walked into my parents house and went directly to my bedroom. I was a little surprised to find both my parents waiting for me in my room. I got a little concerned that something had happened to my grandmother. She had moved back to Puerto Rico about two years ago." Natalia paused for a moment to steel herself for what was coming next.

Olivia did her best to keep from squirming in her seat. She had heard parts of the story, but this would be the first time she heard it all. From what little Natalia told her, she knew this wasn't going to be easy for Natalia or for anyone that was listening to her. Olivia was so proud of how well Natalia was doing. She was staring into her parents eyes and not backing down. Olivia noticed that the Riveras's hateful minister wasn't in the courtroom today. She hoped that was a good thing but something in the pit of her stomach told her that it wasn't. She tried to put that feeling aside. Natalia was starting to talk again and she wanted to hear every word.

Doris brought over a glass of water for Natalia. Natalia smiled at her thoughtfulness. Natalia took a sip of the water. Again she looked over at Olivia for strength and then switched her line of sight to her parents. "Ms. Rivera, are you alright? Do you need some sort of medication?" Judge Jamison was getting impatient. She hated dramatics in her court. She had read all the doctor's reports several times. What happened to this poor woman was dramatic enough, she didn't need to add to the circus feel in her courtroom. It was bad enough having all the press in here. She didn't want the main witness making this her bid for an Oscar.

Natalia nodded her head. She understood what the judge was inferring. She made quick eye contact with Doris, then Olivia. She took a quick breath in through her nose and was about to start talking when a loud noise was heard from outside the courtroom. It was some sort of chanting coming from in front of the courthouse. The judge sent one of the bailiffs to find out what the commotion was all about.

The bailiff came back moments later and whispered into the judge's ear. "The minister from the Rivera's church is outside with a bullhorn, leading about one hundred people in a chant against this court's war on christianity and how God hates dykes. Judge Jamison wanted to just lay her head down on her bench. Now it was a full on circus. All they were missing was clowns throwing buckets of confetti. She instructed the bailiff to close all the doors to the courtroom so they wouldn't be interrupted again.

"I'm sorry for the interruption Ms. Rivera, please continue with your testimony." Natalia took another sip of water and tried to remember where she had left off before all the commotion started.

"My parents were waiting for me in my room. Before I could ask if anything had happened to my grandmother, my father stood up and hit me in the face with his opened hand. It was so unexpected and so hard that I fell down on the floor. My father grabbed me by the hair and put me on my knees. He told me there was little hope at this point, but that I needed to start praying and begging God to forgive me for my sins. When I asked what sins he thought I had committed, he hit me in the face again. This time with the back of his hand. It split my bottom lip open. He told me to stop what ever I thought I was doing and repent. He had followed me to the restaurant and saw me with, as he put it, the green eyed devil." Natalia paused to take a sip of water.

"That's when he kicked me in the stomach. I doubled over and landed on my face. From then on it was just him telling me to repent or God would use him to send me to hell. I kept telling him I hadn't done anything with Olivia that I needed to repent for. The more I refused to confess to wrong behavior, the angrier he got. He was screaming at me that God hated me and my kind. That he was an instrument of God and that if I didn't repent God would use him to strike me dead. I was crying and begging him to stop hitting me. I hadn't done anything wrong. I hadn't touched Olivia, ever. I kept telling him I was a good girl, I had never touched anyone. I had never even been kissed. He went crazy when I said I had never been kissed. He kicked me so hard in the stomach that I passed out." Natalia stopped talking. She needed to blow her nose and take a drink of water. It hurt almost as much telling the details of the story as living through it.

Doris was amazed that Russo never objected to anything Natalia said. She knew he had to have some sort of plan, she just couldn't, for the life of her, figure out what it was. The Riveras sat there quietly never saying a word to each other or to Russo. It was making Doris more and more nervous. She quickly refilled Natalia's water glass and gave her some more tissues to wipe up the tears still streaming down her face. How could Maria Rivera sit there and watch her daughter falling to pieces and show no real reaction at all. Where was all her Christian kindness now?

Judge Jamison was having similar thoughts. Why wasn't Russo standing up for his clients? Why didn't the Riveras look moved by the obvious pain their only child was in? "Ms. Rivera, are you well enough to continue? I don't want you to hurt yourself and end up back in the hospital." Natalia took several deep breaths to calm herself and then a large sip of water.

"I'm fine now. I would like to continue please." The judge looked from Natalia to Doris and back again. She nodded her head and waved her arm, inviting Natalia to continue. "When I regained consciousness, I was in the basement. I was lying on the the cold concrete. I was wet and shivering. My mother had thrown a bucket of water on me to wake me up." A buzz started to rise up out of the gallery. The judge banged her gavel for the room to remain quiet. She again encouraged Natalia to continue.

"My father started in on me again. He had his bible in his hand as he prayed for me to repent and take the hand of God. He kept repeating over and over that God could never love a sinner like me. That God hated dykes and fags. I cried out that I was a good girl and that I hadn't done anything to deserve all of this. Olivia was just my friend. She had men falling at her feet. She would never look at me that way. I'm a good girl, I swear! That only made him mad. He put down the bible and walked over to me. He told me he was giving me one more chance to tell the truth and to repent. If I didn't, surely God would put a stop to my poor pitiful existence. I just cried." Natalia paused to catch her breath.

When she started to talk again, it like sounded like Natalia was really just talking to herself. "How could I repent from something I hadn't done. I told him I wanted God to love me. I needed God to love me. That I had long ago, given up on ever having a relationship with anyone, so that God would love me. He just screamed at me, calling me a lying dyke. Again I swore that nothing had ever happened between Olivia and me. I begged for him to believe me. He almost laughed as he called me a liar. He raised his arms up to the sky as he told me he was just the messenger of God. That's when he started to kick me again. I didn't last very long before I passed out again." The judge was amazed that this horrible story was getting absolutely no reaction from the Riveras. They both sat in their seats quietly listening. Strangers in the gallery had tears in their eyes, but the Riveras's reaction was stone cold.

"I don't know how long I was unconscious for, but it must have been a few hours because light was coming in through the small windows. I was alone for the moment. I tried to get up from the floor, but any movement caused a lot of pain. I was also finding it hard to breath. I knew he had broken some ribs. I had heard them pop when he kicked me. My mouth had stopped bleeding from when he had back handed me in the face, but my lip was very swollen and hurt anytime I tried to move it. I was finally able to roll myself on to my back. It seemed like it made my breathing easier. I fell asleep in this position." Natalia stopped for a moment. Doris thought Natalia was having trouble breathing she quickly went over to her.

"Are you ok? Do you want to stop and take a rest? We can ask to continue this tomorrow." Natalia looked blankly at Doris for a moment. She was still in the basement. When Doris touched her arm, it brought Natalia back into the present. "Natalia are you alright? Do you want to continue this tomorrow?" Natalia looked at Doris, then moved her eyes to Olivia in the front row of the gallery. Olivia's face was wet with tears. Olivia smiled when their eyes made contact. Natalia felt her strength return just from that small smile.

"I'm ok Doris. I'd like to continue if that's ok. I don't want to drag this out until tomorrow." Doris was truly impressed by this woman's strength. Doris looked at the judge.

"Your Honor we would like to continue if that pleases the court?" Judge Jamison nodded for her to continue. Doris asked Natalia what happened when she woke up the next time?

"I don't know how long I was asleep. It was still light out but I could tell from the shadows that it was much, much later. I heard voices coming from the kitchen upstairs. I could make out my father's voice and my mother's voice. There was another male voice but I couldn't really be sure who's it was. I tried again to sit up. It hurt so bad, but somehow I was able to get up on my hands and knees and crawl over to the couch. I laid myself out on the couch and worked to get my breathing back under control. I was still having a lot of trouble breathing. I started coughing." Natalia took a breath. She knew this was the last part before she woke up in Olivia's arms in the alley.

"All of a sudden my father was standing beside me. He was yelling and telling me to just die already. God no longer wanted me in his kingdom. He grabbed me by my hair and threw me to the floor and started kicking me again. I brought up my left arm and leg to protect myself. This simple act of defiance made him crazy. He got one of his golf clubs and started to hit me with it. That's how my arm and leg got broken. I'm sure he broke more ribs too. I closed my eyes when I saw the club coming towards my head. The last thought I had before I passed out was that God must hate me, if he's allowing this to happen." There was a look of defeat in Natalia's eyes for just a moment. Doris and the members of the jury were able to watch as that look changed from defeat to pure confidence.

"The next time I woke up, I was in Olivia Spencer's arms. She was yelling and trying to figure out if I was alive. At first I was sure it was a dream. Then we tried to stand up and the amount of pain that went through my whole body told me that not only was I awake, but very clearly still alive. Olivia Spencer was saving me. God had sent Olivia Spencer to save me. My father had been wrong." Natalia turned her focus from Doris to her father.

"You were wrong daddy! God loves me and he sent his green eyed angle to save me. I'm not going to hell for this! You are! God loves me daddy! You were wrong." The judge put a stop to Natalia's outburst.

She looked at the time. She banged her gavel and adjourned the trial until the next day. All the reporters rushed out of the courtroom to get their stories on air. Olivia jumped up from her chair and ran over to Natalia. Natalia worked herself into a standing position as the bailiffs were taking her parents out of the room.

"You were wrong, God does love me, he didn't let you kill me and he sent Olivia to save me! You better get down on your knees and beg for forgiveness! God loves me!" Natalia remained standing until her parents were out of the room. She sat back down in the wheel chair and grabbed Olivia's hand in hers.

"I'm tired Olivia. Can we go back to the suite and have dinner delivered?"

Tbc


	6. Chapter 6

A Dark and Stormy Night part 6

NC17 rating

I own nothing and I expect even less

Thank you Chely for always finding time to help me!

It was a dark and stormy afternoon as the press corps that had been inside the courtroom got outside to see the group protesting the proceedings against the Riveras. That's when the circus really began. The protesters start screaming the vile things written on their signs. "God hates dykes! You are all going to hell! All dyke lovers will burn!" The reporters were eating this up. They started filming and trying to get interviews.

Dinah Marler was the first to get on air. "The Rivera's minster has been leading this small mob of protesters outside the courthouse as Natalia Rivera gave her testimony, inside. I don't know if he was hoping to stop her from testifying or stop the proceedings altogether, but he did neither. As you can see behind me, the protesters are carrying signs very similar to those carried by that church from Ohio. It is this reporter's opinion that they just made a very bad tactical error. Most Christians I have interviewed find those kinds of sentiments very unchristian like. I think this will cost them most of the support that main stream religious groups were giving them." The camera operator scanned the crowd. Dinah was sure the ratings would skyrocket with this new development.

The camera operator caught sight of Russo running down the courthouse steps toward Pastor Guzman. Danny filmed the entire encounter. It got very heated. Dinah was hoping punches would be thrown, but a loud crack of thunder and a sudden deluge of rain sent everyone scrambling for cover. She was the first one to get to Russo for an interview.

Doris knew the front of the courthouse would be a zoo. She quickly sent Olivia and Natalia out the back. Doris had her people pull Olivia's van around to the back doors so they could get a very drained Natalia out of there as smoothly as possible. It took less then five minutes and Olivia was pulling out of the parking lot. Natalia wasn't really surprised by the scene they were passing by.

"He wasn't always like this, out in public with signs of hate. It was different before Pastor Guzman's mother died. He was always against gays, but it was controlled. Now it truly seems that he hates them and blames them for everything that's wrong with the world."

"Natalia he told your parents to beat the gay out of you. How is that controlled?"

"The rumor that went around the congregation was that his mother went with a woman when the pastor was just a teenager." The look on Olivia's face told Natalia, Olivia need more detail.

"Pastor Guzman found Jesus when he was incarcerated for accidentally shooting someone. He didn't kill them but he was seventeen years old and they prosecuted him as an adult. He went to prison. The story goes, that while he was in prison, he fell in love with God and his mother fell in love with another woman. She kept it from him the whole time he was in prison. She even continued to try and hide it from him after he got out. He of course caught them together in an intimate moment. He was never able to open his heart to her again." Olivia had to look at Natalia's face, because it sounded like she felt sorry for the bastard that encouraged her parents to beat her for years on end.

"You sound like you feel sorry for him. Your life could have been so different if he hadn't put his poison into your parents heads." Olivia carefully pulled the van into the Beacon parking lot. She didn't want to jostle the van too much. She knew how much pain it caused Natalia. Natalia held her breath until the van came to a stop.

"I do feel sorry for him. I feel sorry for all of them. They don't have any clue about what it feels like to have God's love. I'm very lucky Olivia. I have living proof that God loves me. I have you." Olivia made a face. She didn't know about all this god stuff. She got out of the van and ran around the other side so she could help Natalia out of the van. It was raining so hard they were both drenched by the time they got to the hotel doors.

Olivia got them upstairs as quickly as she could. She didn't want Natalia getting chilled. "How about we go right into the bathroom and get you in the tub. That should warm you right up." Natalia smiled, a bath sounded heavenly.

"Only if you join me. How will I be able to take care of us if you get sick?" Natalia had a sexy little smile on her face. Olivia was shocked when she felt herself blush.

"Are you sure? I don't want to hurt you." The smile Natalia gave her was all the answer Olivia needed. She quickly started filling the tub with hot water. Olivia carefully got Natalia out of her wet clothes and removed the brace from her leg. Natalia put her arms around Olivia's neck and she gently stood up out of the wheelchair onto her good leg. Olivia was working very hard not to notice just how soft and supple Natalia's skin was under her fingertips. Natalia wasn't helping when she leaned in and started kissing her.

"Help me in the tub baby, then take off your clothes, very slowly, and join me in the hot water." Olivia got a silly little smile on her face. No one would believe her if she told them how sexual and sensual little sweet Natalia was. Olivia didn't know if this was a good idea or not, but nothing was going to stop her from joining Natalia in that tub.

Olivia had Natalia sit on the edge of the tub and then she helped her to slowly lower herself into the hot water. Once she was comfortable sitting in the tub, Olivia started to undress. She watched Natalia become more and more enthralled as every piece of clothing came off. Olivia had undressed for many people, both men and women, no one had ever looked at her the way Natalia was looking at her now. It was sexual in its most primal state, but there was also an almost child like wonder as if she truly didn't know what was being uncovered. There was also a look of such deep love, that it almost took Olivia's breath away.

Natalia sat in the tub waiting for Olivia to take off her clothes. Olivia had seen Natalia naked several times since the beating. This would be the first time Natalia would see all of Olivia. The anticipation was killing her. On one hand she wanted Olivia to go as slow as possible. Letting more and more beautiful skin appear. On the other hand she wanted Olivia naked as fast as possible, so she could finally see what she had been dreaming about for years. She was feeling so many things all at once, she couldn't speak. She was barely breathing.

Olivia stood naked in front of Natalia. Letting her look as long as she wanted. It made Olivia feel beautiful and loved. Natalia wasn't leering at her, she seemed to be drinking her in with her eyes. Like she was looking at the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

When Natalia was able to speak again, it was just a whisper. "Please get in the tub. I need to know how you feel up against me." Olivia slowly moved towards the tub. She gracefully brought her leg up and over the edge of the tub and down into the hot water. She settled her foot down on the bottom of the tub and brought her other leg in the water. She was behind Natalia. Very carefully she lowered her body into the water. Her legs went down the outside of Natalia's legs. She was very careful of the left side. Olivia leaned back against the tub wall and pulled Natalia back with her. She felt the shudder that went through Natalia's body as their skin made contact for the first time.

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god." It was all Natalia could think to say. Natalia had thought that seeing Olivia was the sexiest thing she could ever imagine. She had been right. Because actually feeling Olivia's wet naked body pressed up against her naked back was beyond anything her imagination could come up with. She forced her body to relax so she could enjoy this completely new sensation. Relaxing her muscles caused their bodies to slide against each other. All Natalia could do is moan.

"Are you ok baby? I didn't hurt you did I?" Natalia couldn't speak. All she could do is shake her head no and run her right hand up and down Olivia's leg. "So that was a moan of pleasure and not pain?" Natalia found her voice and hissed out a yes. "You tell me if anything I do makes you start to hurt." Olivia lowered her mouth to Natalia's right shoulder and started to kiss, lick and nibble her way up to Natalia's neck. Natalia bent her head to the left to give Olivia free access to her neck.

"Your skin tastes so good baby. Is it ok if I start moving my hands? I want to feel you everywhere." Just the thought of Olivia's hands on her, made her center flood with desire. Natalia took Olivia's right hand and placed it on her right breast. The sensation was exquisite. Olivia felt the shudder. It was her answer to her question. She let her hands go on their journey of discovering all of Natalia. Olivia couldn't believe how erotic this was. She couldn't ever remember being this turned on before.

Olivia let Natalia's reaction guide her hands. She was very careful to stay away from Natalia's left side. Even though Natalia was healing, Olivia didn't want to ruin this moment with pain. All she wanted Natalia to feel was pleasure. Her hand slid up from Natalia's hip to her stomach. Natalia leaned farther back into Olivia. The rock hard nipples rubbing into her back told her that Olivia was enjoying this almost as much as she was. Olivia moved her hand higher up Natalia's body to the base of her breast. Natalia had nice full breasts. Her hand wasn't big enough to cover the whole breast. Olivia started a gentle massage of the breast. Natalia was in heaven. When Olivia's fingers found her nipple, she thought she was going to die from shear overwhelming pleasure. Natalia was sure nothing could be better than this.

In the next moment Olivia proved her wrong. Olivia increased the pressure of her fingers and started to tug a bit on the nipple. Olivia used her mouth on Natalia's shoulder and sucked hard in rhythm with her fingers. Olivia knew it would leave a mark but something told her Natalia wouldn't care. Olivia was on fire. She knew Natalia had to be also. She decided it was time to lower her hand. Natalia groaned when Olivia moved her hand away from her breast. She didn't want this moment to end. She was afraid that Olivia was going to stop touching her.

"No, please don't stop me amor! It feels so good. Please, I want more!" Olivia smiled and licked her way up to Natalia's ear.

"I'm not stopping. I promise you will like what I'm about to do more than what I was doing." Olivia pulled Natalia's earlobe into her mouth as her fingers found their way to Natalia's outside folds. All of the protesting stopped. Natalia instinctively bent her right leg and placed her foot on the edge of the tub. Making it very easy for Olivia to continue where she was going. They both moaned when Olivia's fingertips pressed past the outer folds. Olivia was amazed at how wet Natalia was. Natalia was amazed at how good Olivia could make her feel.

"Oh my god, you are so wet baby. Your little nub is hard as a rock. Now relax baby and let me do all the work. Let me make you feel good." Olivia rolled Natalia's hard little nub between her thumb and index finger. Natalia was launched into a realm of sensation she had never dreamed of. Between what Olivia was doing with her fingers in her most private place and what she was doing with her teeth and tongue on her shoulder, Natalia didn't know why she wasn't floating in mid air. She wanted to roll her hips but knew that would only cause pain. Instead she grabbed Olivia's head and pulled it to her mouth. Olivia gladly started to thrust her tongue in and out of Natalia's mouth.

Olivia knew Natalia was getting close. She could feel the pulsing of her center and heard the change in her breathing. Olivia slipped her left hand into her own center. She started to match the rhythm of both her hands. Olivia had never done anything like this before. She never really cared if the other person was satisfied or not. With Natalia, everything was different. Not only was it very important to her that Natalia was satisfied, she wanted to share it with her. She increased her speed and pressure of her fingers. She felt Natalia starting to tense her body and hold her breath.

"Relax and breathe my love. Give in to it. Let it take you away." Olivia whispered in Natalia's ear. Natalia did her best to relax. She took a deep breath as the burning sensation that had started so small in her center, spread throughout her entire body. She was sure that this time she was floating in mid air above the tub. She felt the jerking of Olivia's body and it caused the fire to flow through her again.

The next thing Natalia was aware of was Olivia purring in her ear. Whispering how beautiful Natalia is. Natalia didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Then she realized she was already doing both. She reached back and found Olivia's head. She pulled Olivia into a very wet kiss. They both started to laugh.

"Come on, let's get you out of the water before it gets cold. I don't want you catching a chill." Olivia stood up and got out of the tub. She quickly wrapped a towel around herself. She laughed at the pout on Natalia's face. "I promise to take it back off after we get you dry and safely in bed." That brought out the dimples at full strength.

It took a few minutes, but Olivia got Natalia out of the tub, dried off and into bed without any pain. They decided on what they wanted for dinner and Olivia called down to the kitchen to have it made. Olivia remained naked the whole time. Natalia was enjoying the view so much that she didn't really notice the phone ringing.

"Hello Doris, is there a problem? Natalia can you reach the remote? Turn on the tv! Ok Doris come on over, we'll be ready." Natalia had the tv on. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. The police were arresting all the protesters. Apparently Pastor Guzman had spit on judge Jamison as she was leaving for the day. When the police went to detain Guzman, the crowd went wild and they started attacking the police. It took almost an hour before the police got things under control again. Dinah Marler came into the shot and said three policemen and four protesters had been taken to Cedars for medical attention.

"He has finally gone over the edge. How could he spit on the judge? Oh Olivia, those poor people will blindly follow him into hell. In their hearts they believe he is their guide into the arms of God." Olivia was mystified. How could Natalia not hate Guzman and his followers? They were the cause of so much of her pain. Yet Olivia could hear it in the tone of her voice, Natalia not only felt sorry for these people, she was concerned for their eternal souls.

Olivia quickly pulled on a pair of pajama bottoms and an oversized sweat shirt. She got out a similar outfit for Natalia. They worked together to get Natalia dressed and back in the wheel chair before Doris got there. Olivia was just pushing Natalia into the living area of the suite when there was a knock on the door.

.TBC


	7. Chapter 7

A Dark and Stormy Night part 7

R rating

I own nothing and expect even less

Thank you Chely for putting up with all my silliness!

Olivia pushes Natalia over by the couch and goes to answer the door. Olivia is very surprised when she sees Dinah Marler standing next to Doris. "Doris why did you bring a reporter with you? You know Natalia isn't giving individual interviews." Dinah answered before Doris could get her mouth working.

"I'm not here to ask for an interview. I have something Doris wants you to see and I'm not letting it out of my sight." Olivia gave Doris a dirty look. Natalia didn't need company right now; especially a member of the press.

"Olivia don't give me that look. You and Natalia will thank me and Dinah as soon as you see what her camera guy caught. Now get your laptop out and put this thumb drive in. Please watch this first before you get all bent out of shape." Doris walked over to Natalia and sat down on the couch near her.

"Can you tell me what's on the thumb drive? Is it going to tear my world apart again?" Natalia could only imagine what was on the drive. Her parents behaving badly. Shouting out things they know better than. Telling more lies about her.

"I don't think so. Just watch it. It's a conversation between Russo and Guzman out on the steps of the court house just before the down pour happened." Olivia came out of the bedroom with her laptop. Doris moved over on the couch so Olivia and Natalia could watch at the same time. Dinah set up the laptop for the two women. The picture started with Russo running down the courthouse stairs towards Pastor Guzman.

"What the fuck are you doing Guzman! I told you that I didn't want any of this bullshit going on during the trial. This just makes the world think you're a bunch of crack pots. We can't win the public's backing if they think you're all nut jobs!" Guzman just shrugged his shoulders.

"I am doing the Lord's work you asshole! I don't care if some scummy nonbeliever like you doesn't understand what I'm doing! The problem here is not me, it's the fucking Riveras, if they had just killed their fucking dyke daughter, like I told them to do, then none of this would be happening. I'm not on trial for killing my mother am I? And that fucking dyke is deader than a door nail! They have to be better at getting rid of the stain on humanity that the fucking homos cause! I can't kill them all myself!"

"Are you fucking kidding me! Get the hell away from here! Don't tell me anymore! You are one crazy mother fucker!" As Russo was screaming the last comment, the sky opened up and rain started coming down in buckets.

Natalia sat there dumbfounded. It was his voice she had heard when she was down in the basement. The pastor told her parents to kill her and they tried their best to do it. Emotions started coming at her from all directions. All of sudden she couldn't get any air in her lungs. She heard Olivia's voice asking her if she was alright but she couldn't answer. Everything just went black.

Natalia could hear a voice calling to her, but it was so dark everywhere. It took a few moments for her to realize it was Olivia's voice. She was trying so hard to go to the voice, but it was like she was trying to swim in honey. The harder she tried, the harder it became to move. The voice was telling her to rest that she would always be there when she woke up. Natalia relaxed and tried to float on the honey.

Natalia wasn't sure how much later it was when she became aware that she was lying on the floor and being held in strong arms. She cuddled in closer to the body holding her. She took a deep breath and immediately knew this was Olivia's body. She was smiling even before her eyes opened.

"What are you smiling about? You scared me to death!" That made Natalia frown. She didn't want to scare anyone, least of all Olivia. But before she could apologize, her lips were covered by Olivia's and a slow healing kiss took place.

"Ugh, excuse me ladies, but you're not alone in the room. Will you please come back up for air." Doris was always uncomfortable with public displays of affection. It didn't matter if it was straight or gay people. Dinah came out of the kitchenette with a glass of water for Natalia. Olivia pulled back from the kiss. Natalia was still smiling when she opened her eyes. The first thing that came into focus were the beautiful green of Olivia's eyes.

"This is becoming a wonderful habit. My parents cause me to go unconscious and your scent brings me back. The green of your eyes is the first thing I see." Natalia leaned in and brushed her lips across Olivia's. "Can you help me back into the chair? I don't want to make Doris any more uncomfortable than she already is." Then she started to giggle. Olivia looked at Dinah for help. Together they both gently picked Natalia up and placed her in the wheel chair. Natalia was very happily surprised that it was almost completely painless.

"I'm sorry for scaring everyone. When it hit me, really hit me, what my parents had been doing to me for years and why, I just couldn't get any air in my lungs. I'm fine now. It didn't even hurt sitting back in the chair." Dinah picked up the glass of water she had set down on the coffee table and handed it to Natalia. Natalia took the glass and sipped a little water in. She smiled at Olivia and reached for her hand. Olivia breathed a sigh of relief. She turned to Doris.

"Ok counselor, what does all this mean to Natalia and the case?" Doris smiled at both of them.

"That was my fault. I should have told you what was going on first, before showing you the footage. I'm sorry." Natalia smiled and encouraged the ADA to continue talking. "Dinah's cameraman Danny caught this as it was taking place this afternoon. He couldn't hear what was being said at the time because of all the other shouting going on. When he got back to the studio, he downloaded it into the editing program and was able to remove all the extraneous noise and just have the two men's voices. He immediately called Dinah and after Dinah saw it, she called me." Dinah was shaking her head in agreement to everything Doris was saying.

"This the point when everything started to move at breakneck speed. Danny made several copies of the footage with the sound cleaned up. I sent one copy each, to Judge Jamison, Chief Cooper and my boss Jack Stevens the DA. I called the judge and explained what she would be receiving momentarily. I also informed her that I hoped that after she saw the footage she would issue a warrant for Guzman's arrest. Five minutes later we had an arrest warrant. Chief Cooper sent two officers to find and arrest Guzman on conspiracy to commit murder and murder." Natalia put her hand on Doris's knee to get her attention.

"Can you really arrest him based just on this conversation?" Doris nodded her head yes.

"Yes we can. This is the best kind of confession. It was completely unsolicited. We're going to use it against Russo too. As a sworn officer of the court, he should have at least reported Guzman's confession of killing his own mother. He did not. He's using attorney-client privilege as his excuse. Just before I came here, I went to the jail and showed the footage to Russo and your parents. I offered them a deal, if they changed their pleas to guilty. I'm waiting for Russo to call me back." Olivia didn't like the idea of a deal.

"What do you mean a deal? You have them by the short hairs. Why are you letting them off easy?" Natalia rubbed Olivia's thigh trying to get her to calm down. Doris was expecting this response.

"Calm down Olivia. If they take the deal, they'll both be in prison longer than if the jury found them guilty on every count. The deal is for twenty years a piece, with no parole. They could both be out of prison in ten years if we finish the trial. The deal is a much stronger sentence."

"My parents aren't stupid. Why would they take a deal like that?" Doris smiled.

"They are hearing twenty years instead of the thirty or forty the judge will surely give them if the jury finds them guilty on all charges. Parole is never mentioned at the sentencing. When a defendant takes a plea deal, they are agreeing to serve the whole sentence." Doris's phone started to ring. She looked at the screen and excused herself and went into the bedroom. There was a knock on the door. Dinah went to the door and opened it. Room service had finally arrived.

Three hours later Olivia and Natalia were finally alone again. Natalia was bone tired but she knew she wouldn't be able to fall asleep anytime soon. Too much was going on for her brain to let her sleep. Guzman had been easily found and taken into custody. When the other members of the church found out that he had been arrested, they set up a vigil outside of the police department. They had their hate signs, but were quiet. They were waiting for their leader's release. Her parents had agreed to the plea deal, with one stipulation; they wanted to speak to Natalia first. A meeting had been set up at the courthouse at eight o'clock in the morning. That gave them an hour before they needed to be in the courtroom.

"What do you think they want to talk to me about? Why make it a stipulation of the deal? You're going to be in there with me right? I don't want to be alone in the room with them." Olivia sat on the bed beside the woman she had fallen deeply in love with.

"I have no idea what they want to say to you. I would hope that seeing Guzman for the crazy animal he is, they are going to get down on their knees and beg for your forgiveness. But I don't think they can see him for what he truly is. If you want me in there, then that's where I'll be. But even if I'm not in the room, you won't be alone. Doris will be there." Natalia cuddled into Olivia the best she could without hurting herself. Olivia wrapped her arms around Natalia and held her as tight as she dare.

Banging on the door to the suite woke the both up before dawn. Olivia threw on her robe and staggered towards the door. It felt like she had only been asleep for a few minutes. "Whoever the fuck you are, you better have a good fucking reason to be knocking on my door at this time of night!" Olivia was shocked when she looked through the peephole and saw a very upset looking Doris. She quickly opened the door and let her in.

"I'm sorry to wake you Olivia, but all hell is breaking loose. The protesters that were outside the police station tried to break Guzman and the Riveras out this morning. Several people were shot. One protester is dead. It's still going on. Turn on the tv so we can get an update. I didn't want Natalia to be surprised by what's going on. I don't know if her parents are hurt or not." Olivia became instantly awake.

"Thank you for coming in person to tell us. If you could possibly start a pot of coffee for us, while I help Natalia get dressed and in her chair, I would be eternally grateful." Doris smiled and headed for the kitchenette to start on the coffee. She was never one to turn down a cup of coffee, unless someone was offering a martini instead.

Natalia was already in her robe when Olivia came in the room. "Did you hear what Doris said?" Natalia nodded her head yes.

"Yeah, I heard every word. Please help me get into the chair so we can go into the living room and see what's happening now. Guzman won't tell the congregation to stop until they get what they want or they're all dead. You can never let the devil win. They consider anyone that's helping me, the devil's representative. I'm worried about all the innocent people that will get hurt because of it." Olivia helped Natalia stand, then pivot so she could sit in the chair. They went into the living room and turned on the tv. Dinah was on screen giving an update to the situation.

"As you can see behind me, the main building of the police station is in chaos. Smoke has started to rise from windows in the back of the building. We are being told that several fires have been started inside the police station by Guzman's people. We don't know what they are trying to do by starting the fires. It's too dangerous to send in firefighters. Guzman's people keep shooting at any law enforcement. I'm going to try and get an update on Chief Cooper. As I stated before Chief Cooper was pulled out of the station by his officers. He's now in the make shift triage unit paramedics setup down the street." The scene continued to show what was still going on at the police station. Another reporter came on the screen giving almost the same information Dinah had just given.

They could now see flames coming out of the roof of the station. "Oh my goodness! Olivia look! Flames are shooting out of the roof. I hope they got out as many people as possible. This is all my parents' fault. How could they have been so blind to follow the teachings of a crazy man." Natalia dropped her head. Olivia and Doris could tell she was praying.

"Doris who do you have at the station? Are they sending you any updates on your phone?" Doris was very busy checking her text messages. She found one that had a lot of information in it. It was from her daughter Ashley. Thank god Ashley was safe back at the television station. However, Ashley was at the command center and had access to all the reporters on the scene from WSPR. She was sending the most up-to-date information, that Doris was getting. "Let me just finish reading this." Doris finished the text from Ashley.

"Ok, that was a text from my daughter. She's an intern at WSPR. She's collecting all the information coming in from all the reporters on the scene. So what she's basically telling me is; Chief Cooper is going to be ok. He was shot in the leg. Paramedics were able to stop the bleeding at their set up and have sent him on to Cedars. The fire is in the lockup section of the station. No one knows if anyone is still in there. Mrs. Rivera was removed as soon as the trouble started. She's been taken to the lockup at the courthouse. Guzman and Mr. Rivera are thought to be still somewhere inside the police station." Doris took a sip of her coffee before continuing with the rest of the information Ashley had sent.

All of a sudden there was a loud crack. It sounded like huge bolt of lightning had hit the Beacon. Moments later all the windows in the suite rattled. Natalia looked up at the tv screen just in time to see the police station explode in a ball of fire!

TBC.


	8. Chapter 8

Thank you to everyone that took the time to read this dark and sad story.

It was a bright and sunny afternoon. Natalia felt so blessed to be enjoying the early spring like weather. She really couldn't believe how much her life had changed in the year since that dark and stormy night.

She decided to steal Olivia away from the Beacon a little earlier than Olivia had planned on leaving. Olivia didn't mind in the slightest. What ever she didn't get done today, Greg would take care of during the month she and Natalia would be gone on their honeymoon.

Natalia had a picnic basket and a blanket in the car. She drove Olivia to the park and they set up their picnic under a large tree. They had a beautiful view of the gazebo and the little duck filled pond. They could also see the newly finished police station at the edge of the park.

The girls had finished their lunch and were just enjoying the quiet of the afternoon sitting under a tree. Olivia had her back against the tree and Natalia was between her legs leaning back against Olivia. They were both people watching as they sipped wine from the plastic cups Natalia had packed.

They both watched as two older women came walking towards them. Natalia thought one of the women looked familiar but couldn't really place where she might know her from. As they got closer, Olivia noticed that they were holding hands. The couple walked right up to them.

"Excuse me, we hate to interrupt your lunch, but are you Natalia Rivera?" The woman that looked familiar was the one to ask the question. Olivia was about to ask them to leave when Natalia started to talk.

"Yes I'm Natalia. You look so familiar. Do I know you?" The older woman got a sad smile on her face.

"No dear. You don't know me. I am Hortensia Lopez, Gabriel Guzman's mother and this is my wife Carmen Lopez." Olivia moved to stand up. She helped Natalia to stand. Then she stood in front of Natalia. She wanted to make sure this crazy woman didn't hurt anyone.

"Listen! I don't know who you are lady, but Guzman killed his mother. That was why he was in custody the day he blew himself and the police station up." Natalia put her hand on the small of Olivia's back to calm her.

"No wait Olivia, I think she might be telling the truth. Look at her, she looks just like him." Olivia quieted and took another look. Natalia was right, this woman did look just like the bastard. But how was that possible?

"He said that he killed you. That's why he was in the police station the night it exploded. That was a year ago. Why are you here now?" The woman was nodding her head with that same sad smile.

Carmen stood slightly in front of Hortensia. Taking on Olivia's challenging body language. "Hortie wanted to get on the first plane, when we heard what was going on with your trial. I told her we should stay out of it. I thought it would only get Gabe all wound up and he'd just do something crazy. Sadly he did it anyway. We sent for his body and had him quietly buried near where we live now. Hortie took losing Gabe very hard. The fact that she was never able to win back the love of her only child, almost broke her. We decided to come back to Springfield when we saw your wedding announcement in the newspaper. Hortie wanted to talk to you before the wedding." The two women still had their hands tightly clasped.

Carmen turned to look all around their area. She wanted to find a place where her wife could sit down comfortably. She smiled when she saw the gazebo. "Do you mind if we go over to the gazebo? My wife and I are not as young as you two. If we sat on the ground, you would have to call the fire department to get us back up." Carmen laughed at her own joke. Natalia took Olivia's hand and started to walk towards the gazebo. She wanted to hear everything these ladies had to say.

Once Olivia was sure Natalia was comfortable on the bench, she went back to get their things. The three women sat in silence as they watched Olivia gather up all their things and put them all in the picnic basket that Natalia had packed. She folded up the blanket and returned to the gazebo. She had Natalia stand back up so she could put the blanket down on the bench so Natalia could have a little bit of cushioning. All her broken bones had healed, but she still got stiff from sitting.

"Like Carmen said, we saw your wedding announcement in the newspaper. We wanted to come and wish you all the best. I wanted to be able to apologize to you. We know how Gabe influenced your parents and encouraged them to do all the things to you that he wanted to do me, but couldn't." Hortensia paused for a moment. She was deciding how much to tell this poor woman about her very misguided son.

"Early on, in the first few days after he got out of prison, he caught Carmen and I in an intimate embrace. He went berserk. I had never seen him like that before. No matter what I tried, I couldn't get through to him. He tried several times to physically hurt Carmen. I was always able to stop him before he could do anything. I was so sure that once he calmed down and got to know Carmen, he would be able to see how happy we were together. If he saw for himself I was happy, I thought he would come around." Carmen wiped a tear from Hortensia's cheek.

"As you can guess, that never happened. In fact he got worse and worse. Every time we saw him, he would either try to hurt Carmen or try to convert us to his way of thinking. He would try to bring us to the church he had started. We actually went once. We had never heard so much hate spouted by someone professing to be a messenger of God. We never went back." Hortensia needed a moment to get her emotions under control.

"In the end, so Carmen would be safe and to get some peace of mind, we finally decided to move back to Puerto Rico. I think that's when he really cracked. In his mind, it was all the proof he needed, that I had chosen Carmen and the devil over him. The only way we could really keep tabs on him, without him knowing, was through the church's website. We also kept a subscription to a couple of the Springfield newspapers. We didn't really understand how lost he was until we read about your trial." Hortensia's eyes filled with tears and her voice cracked. She needed a moment to get herself under control again. This was proving to be as difficult as she thought it would be.

Natalia didn't know what to do with all this information. None of what happened to her, was this old woman's fault. In Natalia's mind, it wasn't even Pastor Guzman fault. Her parents were adults and they made the decision to do what they did.

"Everything you went through is my fault. I came to beg for your forgiveness. If I hadn't made him the center of my world when he was a child, none of this would have happened. Please forgive me. It should have been me that went through everything you had to endure." Hortensia finally broke down and let herself cry. Carmen held her and comforted her as best as she could. Hortensia seemed to quiet after a few minutes.

Natalia leaned forward and placed her hand on Hortensia's knee. "Mrs. Lopez, please don't blame yourself for what did or didn't happen to me. I most certainly don't blame you or even the pastor, for what my parents did to me. What they did to my body has healed. There will be scars to remind me of how lucky I am. That I survived and now I am thriving. The meanest thing they did to me was to tell me, that not only did God not love me, but that he could never love me. That God wanted them to kill me, so he could send me to hell for all eternity." Both of the older women gasped at the cruelty.

They were shocked when Natalia started to smile. Natalia took Olivia's hand in hers. "The moment I woke up in this woman's arms, I knew they were wrong. I knew that God really did love me. If he didn't, I wouldn't have woken up and certainly not in Olivia's arms. I know in my heart and soul, that God sent Olivia to find me and to save me." Olivia just smiled. Even after a year of loving Natalia, she still wasn't what anyone would call, a believer.

"I walk without a limp, even though my leg was broken in several places. I can lift anything with my left arm and I only lost some vision in my left eye. It's only God's love that makes all that possible. Before that night, my life was grey and small. Now my life is so much bigger. There is so much more color in it. Please don't feel sorry for me. Apparently I had to learn the hard way, how to trust my inner voice. To trust in God's love, even if everyone is telling me I'm wrong. It took extreme measures, but I finally get it." Natalia chuckled at her little joke.

"Do they know what really happened the night of the explosion? Can you tell us?"

Twenty years later:

"Ma, there's an email here for you from Auntie Doris. It's not from her personal address. It looks official. It's addressed to Pastor Natalia Spencer." Natalia came out of the kitchen to see what the governor wanted this time. Natalia was hoping that this was the official letter asking her to officiate at her wedding. She kissed Emma on the head as she sat down. Emma being a typical sixteen year old, rolled her eyes. Natalia just smiled.

"Now let's see what Governor Wolfe has to say. I hope it's about the wedding." Natalia opened the email and started to read. Emma watched as all the blood drained from her mother's face. "Emma, sweetie, go get your mother please. She's going to want to read this too." Emma stood up, but she didn't move.

"Are you ok ma? You don't look so good." Natalia looked up from the computer screen and made eye contact with her daughter. She tried to smile, but somehow failed.

"I'm fine baby. I'm just very surprised. My mother is very sick and she's asking to see me. Please go get your mother for me. She needs to see this too." Emma was confused. She had always thought her ma's parents were dead. She hardly ever spoke about them and never in the present tense. She ran upstairs to her mother's office.

"Mom, mom! Ma needs you! Go down to the living room, ma needs you!" Olivia jumped up from her desk. She had been working on a bid for their next hotel. It will be The Beacon number five. Now she was just worried about her wife of almost twenty years.

"Hang on bean! What's the matter with your ma? Is she sick? Did she hurt herself?" Olivia got to her daughter and placed her hands on her shoulders, holding her in place until she answered her questions. Emma shook her head no.

"It's not like that. She got an email from Auntie Doris. It said her mother was sick and asking for her." At first Olivia was confused. Why would Doris's mother want to see Natalia? Then it hit her. Not Doris's mother, Natalia's mother. They hadn't heard from her in twenty years. The last time was just after Guzman and her father blew up the old police station. She had asked to see Natalia just before she was transferred to the women's prison in Decatur.

"I'm going down to your ma. I need you to call your brother and have him come home. We need to have a family meeting. He's at Daisy's. Don't take no for an answer. If he's not here in thirty minutes, he loses the keys to his car for a month." Emma nodded her head. This had to be crazy important. Their mom never threatened taking away the car unless it was extremely important.

Natalia was still just staring at the screen when Olivia found her in the living room. She carefully gave Natalia the once over, making sure there was nothing physically wrong. They hadn't spoken about Maria in at least ten years. This was going to be interesting. The kids would have to be told something now for sure. She would support whatever Natalia decided on, as always. Olivia walked over to the couch and sat down next to her wife. Natalia leaned back into Olivia, feeling Olivia's strength and love pouring into her.

Two days later, they were on the way to the prison in Decatur. They told Rafe and Emma the whole story. They found out that Rafe already knew most of the story. He had over heard Frank telling Mallet about the time he had been shot in the leg. "It was the night that crazy mother fucker Guzman and Pastor Natalia's father blew up the police station." Rafe spent the next few days looking it all up on the Internet. He read all the articles and watched all the news broadcasts. He didn't know how he felt about the whole story so he didn't bring it up to his moms. Emma was completely dumbfounded.

Olivia took Natalia's hand as they walked from the parking lot to the infirmary where Maria was. Natalia pulled Olivia's hand up to her lips and kissed it. Even after all these years together, it still amazed Natalia that Olivia always knew just what she needed. They got to the guards' station and explained who they were there to see.

"You're here to see Maria Rivera?" Both women nodded their heads yes. "She and I arrived here at about the same time. You two are her first visitors in all that time. You're Pastor Spencer? Why would a pastor be coming to see her now? I'm pretty sure she doesn't want to have anything to do with religion." Natalia was surprised by what the guard was saying. Olivia was starting to get annoyed. Natalia looked closely at the guard's name tag.

"Officer Malloy, I'm not here as a pastor. If you must know, Maria Rivera is my mother. This is the first time she has asked to see me since she's been here. The last time I saw her, she told me, that she never wanted to see me again. I was just following her wishes. Now do you think we can go in and see her now?" Malloy was standing there with her mouth hanging open. She should have known who the smaller woman was, she looked just like Maria.

Officer Malloy did the mandatory body search on both Olivia and Natalia. She also did a close inspection of the purses. Once that was all completed she showed them to Maria's bed in the infirmary. Malloy pointed to the curtain that gave her friend a little bit of privacy. Malloy stuck her head around the curtain.

"Maria, are you awake? Your visitors are here. Are you ready to see them?" Maria nervously shook her head yes as she pushed the button on the bed to let her sit up. Malloy pushed back the curtain as soon as Maria was sitting up. This was the first time in twenty years that mother and daughter looked at each other.

"Natalia is that you? You've become a very beautiful woman." Natalia wanted to be pleased with the compliment but she just couldn't. She had forgiven her mother and father years ago. She didn't want to carry all that anger around. That would have only hurt her. But standing there looking at the woman that had given birth to her, she realized that she just didn't care what this person thought about her. That made her smile. Maria could never hurt her again.

"What can I do for you mother? Why did you want to see me after so many years?" Olivia was surprised by the tone of her wife's voice. It only held curiosity in it. Not hurt or anger. Once again her wife showed what a wonderful human being she was. Maria heard the same thing that Olivia heard. Maria was expecting her child to hate her. Clearly Natalia didn't.

"I don't want anything from you. I just wanted to say goodbye. I just had my appendix removed. My sentence is complete. I get out of here in two weeks. I'm going to live with my cousin Martha, in New York. She got me an interview for a job at the place she works. So this is goodbye. I hope you are happy and that you have found peace in your life." Maria sounded sincere. It wasn't an apology but it was a wish for her happiness. It was more than Natalia had expected.

"My life has turned out to be very happy. Olivia and I have two children. A boy eighteen and a girl sixteen. We own four luxury hotels and we are now bidding for our fifth. I took over Guzman's church. I have been the pastor there for almost twenty years. I preach about God's love and accepting everyone into your life, instead of all the hate he preached. I have more love in my life than I ever thought was possible. I have you to thank for that." Maria thought she must have heard wrong. How could she have had anything to do with love in her child's life.

"You and my father never showed me anything but disappointment. I believed everything you told me. I believed God could never love me. I worked so hard to make you and my father proud of how pure I was trying to be. Your big mistake was thinking I had ever lied to you." Natalia paused to let that sink in for a moment.

"That mistake ended up being my salvation. You put me right in the arms of the woman I secretly loved. The very fact that I survived and regained consciousness in Olivia's arms caused me to have an epiphany. Not only were you wrong about God loving me, because God did love me. You were wrong about who God wanted me to love. God saved me from you and your hate and used Olivia to bring me back to life. It changed my whole outlook on life. So I should thank you for trying to kill me. If you hadn't, I would still be living under your thumb, unloved and very unhappy." Natalia had forgiven her mother years ago, but getting that off her chest, made her feel lighter than air.

"You know where I am and how to contact me if you need anything. It's your decision to hate or to love. I will not try to find you. This is all up to you. You are welcome to get to know your family as long as it is done with love. If you decide to stay away, I wish that you find an inner peace and your way back to God." Natalia took her wife's hand and headed back to her life.

The End


End file.
